Body of Poisoned Lottery Winner to Be Exhumed for Autopsy

Urooj Khan won $1 million (€762,660) at the lottery in July, wife Shabana Ansari stands to the left

Chicago lottery winner Urooj Khan’s body is to be exhumed on Friday, as an autopsy is scheduled to confirm the cause of death as homicide by cyanide poisoning.

As we reported previously, Khan's death was originally attributed to natural causes, until blood tests indicated the presence of cyanide in his body.

Chief Medical Examiner Stephen J. Cina performed the tests when a family member requested them, raising doubts about the man's case.

Khan had won $1 million (€762,660) at the lottery in July. He passed away before he could collect the prize, just weeks after the win was announced. The incident prompted debates on whether or not winners’ names should be disclosed to the public, since doing so might put them in danger.

The blood sample analysis revealed he had fatal dosages of cyanide administered, before he passed. At the time, an autopsy was not performed, and the medical examiner's office released the body for burial.

A lawsuit was filed after Khan died, with widow Shabana Ansari, and brother ImTiaz Khan trying to get a hold of the rights to his fortune, Los Angeles Times writes.

The Chicago Tribune details that Ansari prepared the curry meal that Khan ate before he died. However, she told police that she also ate the dish.

She had been married to Khan for 12 years. Brother ImTiaz claims he is trying to make sure that the man's daughter, whom he had with an ex-girlfriend, would also receive “her fair share” of his estate.

“How would I do such an injustice? [...] I was taking care of her all these years,” she responds.

“He was such a nice person. [...] No one would dare kill him,” she adds, mentioning that the legal battle was “not exactly a fight.”